Community Forums

Rickeoni · 10-13-2019, 10:47 PM

We always have our 3 rodents with us, can't imagine going on a hike without them. They are all over 10 now and are part of the family. In our camping experience, people with children are more of an issue than people with dogs.

j35bonanza · 10-13-2019, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winniman

All the conversations about barking dogs and problems with peoples pet make me wonder what the percentage of rvers have pets with them. In my travels, it would appear that a large number have dogs, and a very small percent have cats and other pets. Some have suggested the need for a pet free area of the campground, or perhaps a pet free campground. They have 55 plus campgrounds. Maybe a pet free campground is not that unrealistic. Obviously people with pets would not be going there. Just wondering how much of the rv population this would eliminate as potential customers to a campground. I personally don't currently have a pet, but almost all my travel companions do. You can do multiple votes, say if you have no pets and would stay at a pet free campground.

I have my loving best friend with me always, he only barks a few times to let me know that somebody's near. Who or why are we on this pet thing here. Let's talk about all the unsupervised screaming children out here. And all times of the night. We all know that kids do not know how to play or talk without screaming loudly.

wratchet · 10-14-2019, 12:20 AM

We travel everywhere with our 2 dogs.
Belgian Sheppard & Akia Lab cross.
90lb. each. Sometimes drive you nuts on a long trip (Vancouver BC to Las Vegas as we speak.
Great security and fun to be with.
Wouldn't leave home without them.

R.Wold · 10-14-2019, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j35bonanza

I have my loving best friend with me always, he only barks a few times to let me know that somebody's near. Who or why are we on this pet thing here. Let's talk about all the unsupervised screaming children out here. And all times of the night. We all know that kids do not know how to play or talk without screaming loudly.

Or how about the TV addicts that cant go camping without their news fix or the price is right or whatever, and are too cheap to invest in solar and batteries so they run their generator all day long and into the night until “quiet time”?

We dont leave our dogs unattended, or our grand kids for that matter, but we also try to find a site away from others with kids and dogs because of the issues raised earlier.

Fortunately most people like to be near facilities so we can usually find something on a corner of the outer loop so we can enjoy some peace and quiet with our dogs and away from generators, kids, loud music, and yes, other dogs.

shootist · 10-14-2019, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roadyacht

We retired (mostly) in 2014 to a new area away from where we lived. We've got two small parrots who need attention a few times per day. Finding a bird sitter wasn't easy, but we found one eventually. Before we found a sitter, the only way we could go away was buy an RV so we could bring them with us.
We had stayed at a hotel or two with them, but the pet friendly hotels weren't as clean as the non-pet friendly hotels so we bought an RV. Would we have bought an RV if we didn't have pets, probably not.

Exactly! Is it the pets, the owners or the hotel staff at fault? Animals are filthy. They belong outdoors.

RonandSueH · 10-14-2019, 04:58 AM

‘Rocky’ (the cat) goes everywhere with us.....best camping cat ever! Doesn’t bark, doesn’t need walking, you can leave him all day and not worry about his ‘bathroom’ issues...will sit in the doorway while we are outside making sure we don’t leave him behind...ok..he is my world❤️❤️❤️❤️

Janjim · 10-14-2019, 05:22 AM

I find this topic always interesting. We love dogs, always had them.

Before I met my wife I used to travel around the country with a St.Bernard and a german shepard mix( Franco and Ginger ) while working as a boilermaker and a pipefitter.

Years later we'd met, married and had a family and Franco and Ginger were gone we got a chesapeake bay retriever and named her Ruby. A fantastic family dog, she loved us as we loved her.

When we had to travel and couldn't take her with us, she would be sick for days after we got home. We tried everything from kennels to people dog sitting at our house.

As time went by she would mope for almost 2 weeks and then WE felt horrible.
After she was put down after 11 years, we were devastated . When people say its like losing a family member, its true.

Fast forward 12 years. Haven't had a dog since. Kids are gone I'm retired wife soon. We travel more than ever, Europe, Caribbean,Mexico etc.

Will buy our Class A soon to see this country fully and travel north america.

We will not have any pets. I get to attached, and I don't plan to stop traveling. My kids have dogs so I have that.

vadertime · 10-14-2019, 06:09 AM

We have 2 dogs, which we rescued from Humane Society, no-kill shelters. These are our 5 & 6 animals over the past 35 years. I can't imagine life without a dog and I am almost 62 years old. I always check to see if Campgrounds allow pets. For the most part, Campgrounds understand that most pet owners see pets as a part of the family and are quite willing to accomodate our furry family members. Some Campgrounds have restrictions on sizes and breeds so it's always good to call ahead. Happy trails with you and your furry friends.

NeilV · 10-14-2019, 06:40 AM

Brings to mind a recent post about most people selling their old RV claiming it is pet free yet the poll here shows that almost 8 out of 10 who responded are not in the pet free crowd.

Hmmm....

4 R LABS · 10-14-2019, 09:23 AM

30 years ago we bought our first RV so we could take our dogs with us on vacation. My wife came up with the vanity plate 4 R LABS. For the most part we find pet owners are considerate of other campers. If there is an exception it's the small dog owners who fail to pick up their dogs waste.

Nikiski two · 10-14-2019, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark99

Dog and Parrot are always with us. That is a large part of why we enjoy traveling in an RV.

Ditto, We travel with 65 lb dog and two Parrots. We have met a lot of nice people because of them. Most of the people that don't clean up after their pets are also the ones that leave trash behind. have not experienced dogs barking to the point of a nuance. Our pets are part of our family, no pets no camp!

EJG · 10-14-2019, 11:14 AM

Gypsy, our 22# mini Australian Shepherd / German Shepherd goes on every trip we take
Couldn’t imagine traveling in our RV without her.

EJG · 10-14-2019, 11:53 AM

Gypsy, our 22# mini Australian Shepherd / German Shepherd goes on every trip we take
Couldn’t imagine traveling in our RV without her.

borgb · 10-14-2019, 12:36 PM

The short answer as to why RVers travel with their pets is because the pets are part of the family. Also, having to board a pet for long periods of time is costly, and is also hard on both pets and owners. Not everyone has a wonderful friend or relative to leave their animals with when they travel. We used to travel with 3 medium dogs and a cat in a 26 ft. Itasca Sunstar. Why did we do this? We had the pets before we bought the camper! We are now down to 1 medium and 1 small dog. We would not consider motorhome life without our animals. They are good travelers, don't bark (unless someone knocks directly on the camper door), and we pick up after them (while also picking up after other owners who have not done so). We appreciate, and follow the rules for, RV dog parks. We would not be interested in staying in a pet-free park, or one that charges extra pet fees. And while I am at it, we tried staying in a "seniors/adults only" park once. Never again. Give me a healthy, diverse family campground anytime!